The Gaelic Grounds is the venue for a game that Cork and Clare wanted to avoid, with one of them destined for life outside the top tier for 2014.

Much has been said about the structure of the leagues this spring in that two out of the six teams in the top tier will square off over 70 minutes to decide who will make the dreaded drop.

Three of the sextet have qualified for the semi-finals, while the remaining team, Waterford, can now focus on theChampionship after preserving their top flight status by finishing fourth.

Some have called for a 10-team Division 1, bringing in counties like Limerick, Wexford and Offaly into equation.

They add that scrapping the pre-season tournaments and starting the league earlier would facilitate this.

Speaking to RTÉ Sport last weekend, Limerick manager John Allen feels the current make-up (now in its third year) of Division 1A is too elitist, and does nothing to promote the game of hurling.

Obviously, Allen was still smarting after his side’s defeat to Dublin, and while many will agree with the thrust of his argument, he also alluded to the fact that the top tier as it stands leaves no room for error.

What’s wrong with that? As politicians are often inclined to say – “we are where we are” and Division 1A was as competitive this year as you could get.

Ahead of the final day, every team could have made the semis, while equally the relegation shoot-out lay in store for all.

Jimmy Barry-Murphy and Davy Fitzgerald must now galvanize their troops for Sunday’s encounter.

Both managers can point to some positives this spring.

Cork started off brilliantly against Tipperary, scoring freely to run out easy winners. The last day against Kilkenny in Nowlan Park saw them create enough chances in the first half to lay the foundations for victory.

And while the Cats did push on at the business end, Cork kept plugging away.